Doctors were paid overtime - department

Johannesburg - Doctors in Gauteng public hospitals are being paid for overtime worked, the provincial health department said on Monday.

“I do not understand where the claims that they are not getting paid emanate from… the public service regulations are clear on payment of overtime to health workers,” spokesman Simon Zwane said.

Democratic Alliance health spokesman Jack Bloom said on Monday that doctors at Chris Hani Baragwanath in Soweto and at Pholosong, OR Tambo Memorial, and the Far East hospitals in Ekurhuleni had not been paid.

Doctors at Baragwanath had not received payments for January this year, while those at the Ekurhuleni hospitals had not been paid since September last year.

“They have decided to stop working overtime because of non-payment. This will have a negative impact on services at hospitals and we cannot afford to see that happening,” Bloom said.

Zwane said regulations stipulated the claim for overtime should not exceed 30 percent of the salary.

If the 30 percent threshold was exceeded, the doctor had to motivate to the department why it was exceeded and provide evidence.

“Motivation for such payments have not been received from some hospitals… that is how it is supposed to be done, otherwise we would have everyone claiming for overtime.”

Hospital managers were aware of the rules and how they should be applied, he said. - Sapa